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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Daycare Decisions

Park stop just after visiting home daycare 2/4.

I'm planning to do a short full-time program at SFU starting in about a month & then work full-time after that. We've been searching for childcare for Sprout for a while now & I have to say, it's one of the more stressful things I've faced. He's been in two other daycares before--once part-time at the family childcare centre (FCC) of a close friend & the other Buddings on an occasional basis--but since neither of those is an option for full-time care starting in February, we have to look elsewhere. I'm fairly confident in my judgement of people & I think I can find a good place for him, but I still have moments of worry that something will go wrong somehow.

Because I didn't decide to do this program until December, there's no way we can get in to a group childcare centre, though there are lots in our area. The waiting lists are just too long. So a home-based FCC it is. There are tons in our area & many who have a spot open at the moment.

I've visited four homes & interviewed the daycare providers. They all seemed like nice people & love children, but two stood out as better for various reasons. One being convenience--because we'll be commuting via bike & transit, taking too much of a detour along our routes would add to the two hour daily commutes we'll each have.

Another factor, of course, is cost. The rates have varied from $900-$1300 a month for Monday-Friday, am-5pm care for a 2.5-year-old. I was a bit surprised to find that licenced child care centres are often in the lower range of those rates, or even cheaper.

Location & cost aren't the only things we looked at, of course. Cleanliness, the toys & environment, outdoor space, activities offered, food & experience of the provider were all important too. I was a bit surprised to hear that one of the women also works nights as well as providing care for three toddlers five or six days a week. I don't know how she has the energy to do that & I worry about the impact the sleep deprivation would have on her capability.

I'd really like to get this decided, though it'll be weeks before Sprout starts there. The stress of trying to figure this out, on top of potty training & a few other projects I have brewing is getting to me. Speaking of potty training, I need to go change Sprout's pants... Sigh.

Do you have children in care at a daycare in someone's home? How many places did you visit before you decided? Have you got any tips for me? (Please, no horror stories!)

I think that once our next child turns one, we will have to break down and finally use some sort of child care. It will be expensive, but I don't think that I can contine working nights like this until 2016.

I am anxious to hear about your and Sprout's experience with FCC. Our options, even for 2014, will either be family care or live-in care.

We had Sprout with my friend's FCC & it was great. I would love to place him there again, but she's full up. You guys could consider a nanny share, possibly. If you hired the nanny & then had one other person's child in there it'd offset the cost a little. Or maybe it wouldn't cost anymore to have them in an FCC. They actually might not be together if they were in a centre--usually the three to fives are in a different place from the under threes--so FCC or nanny might be better for the kids anyway.

We have talked seriously about the shared nanny, especially since we know several people with children around Tycho's age. We have also talked about leaving BC entirely, but that is a bit of a last resort.

The problem I have experienced is there are not many options (in Burnaby) for part time/or flexible care. Most groups or family daycares just don't want to do it. I called every place on the Fraser Health list and visited 3 day cares. Sadly, I could tell just from a 5 min conversation that I might not want my child going there - no English skills, people admitting to "bend the rules" and add children beyond their numbers, inadequate play spaces. What it comes down to is your gut and I found it helpful to bring a second person with me to the interview. That way while you are talking someone else can watch what is going on with the other workers or look at how things are structured (activities, toys etc.) I went group and ended up choosing something closer to work because the ones by my house didn't cut it.

Yeah, flexible care was my issue before. It's actually a lot easier to find care now that I'm looking for full-time. Still hard & expensive, but not as difficult as part-time. Close to work is good if you're settled in your job & so on. I'll be in school, then a three week internship & then I hope to find work somewhere so the only location I know won't change is home.

We are at a group facility which is a non-proft society. $1200 for infants/toddlers, $870 for 3-5s. I love this because there is no one making money off of daycare - staff are well paid, with benefits and bonuses twice a year, and there is no incentive to scrimp on quality of any supplies etc. My huge reservation about in-home daycare was the "creepy uncle" or "daughter's boyfriend" or whoever that could potentially drop by the house at some point. Just be very careful!! And make sure that you do not have to knock or ring a doorbell or whatever to get into the facility (house). I like the suggestion of bringing someone else with you to see facilities because there is always something they may see that you don't! Good luck!

Yes, all three of us went to three of the four places we visited. That was helpful.

The group care places I contacted were actually all between $750 & $950 for Sprout's age up to five. Which I assume means they're non-profits. Some were in churches as well. But I can't wait until Sprout gets a spot--we need it for a month from now.

Oh wow, I did not mean for my comment to sound judge-y! Really! The girl who babysits for our kids has an in-home daycare that her mom runs out of the ground floor of their house and I would have no qualms sending my children there. And we found the babysitter through a friend and she found her on craigslist of all places! I'm looking forward to reading about your experience as a full time student and parent!

We have loved our in home daycare in my pleasant and will be sad to leave in the spring when Gus ages out. I think it's important to know what is vital and what is nice to have. For one to three I wanted somewhere where I knew Gus would get lots of love and hugs through the day, I like that his caregiver is a granny figure in his life and has 25 years experience. She is unflappable. She also only has 3-4 kids at a time and has a structured day schedule which Gus thrives with. I would have liked there to be more outings but I felt for 1-3 I could live with just backyard play and the odd around the block walk. 3-5 is differentt - for the next program i am much more concerned with school readyness, structure and activities. Proximity and cost were also major factors. Trust your gut Lisa - you will know when you find somewhere you can entrust with sprog. Thought that being said I balled after my first visit to Gus's daycare - but that was more about me dealing with change then feelings about the home.